A study of history shows that great civilizations of the world averaged about 200 years and the people of the world have followed this timetable:

The people go:

From slavery to spiritual faith.

From spiritual faith to courage

From courage to liberty

From liberty to abundance

From abundance to selfishness

From selfishness to apathy

From apathy to dependence

From dependence back to slavery.

–The Bible Friend

FREEDOM IS PART OF GOD’S NATURE [Jeremiah 34:13]

At the beginning of Israel’s history, God made a COVENANT with His people to make them FREE. He would be their God and they would be His people, There would be times of slavery, but He would always be there to free His people.

And today, God expresses Himself as a God who wants us to live in freedom.

He said this in Paul’s second letter to the church in Corinth:

“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty (emancipation from bondage, freedom).” (2 Corinthians 3:17 Amplified Bible)

So part of God’s nature is the idea that He wants us to be FREE!

Freedom should be a characteristic of God’s people.

Jeremiah 34:14

God made it part of Israel’s social connection. God instituted a “Year of Jubilee”.

God provided a way for Israel to keep from hurting one another financially. When used properly, no one became more important than God. Everyone would be cared for properly. [See Leviticus 25:10 for reference]

The terms of God’s covenant, or agreement, allowed service of one Hebrew to another but never slavery. God also specified a six-year limitation of that service with the seventh year jubilee release of further obligation.

Finally, the king and the people during Jeremiah’s day agreed to the letter of the law.

The problem was that the people misused this, enslaving people economically. God never wants us to use our freedom to abuse someone else’s freedom. Instead, we should be in the business of “setting people free” by using our God-given FREEDOM as our responsibility.

The Bible warns us that we shouldn’t use our liberty to sin.

1 Peter 2:16 (NIV)

Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves.

Charles Kingsley said, “there are two freedoms–the false, where a man is free to do what he likes; the true, where a man is free to do what he ought.” If we are to be truly free we must follow the latter, not the former. [Footnote [i].]

The trouble comes when we take the liberty and freedom which God has given us and abuse it.

In the case of God’s people, they were taking their repentance back and were showing repentance only to get God’s favor. They never truly wanted a change.

They wanted the benefits of freedom without the responsibility that comes with it,

Jeremiah 34:16 (NIV)

[16] But now you have turned around and profaned my name; each of you has taken back the male and female slaves you had set free to go where they wished. You have forced them to become your slaves again.

God doesn’t like it when we take the FREEDOM which He has given us and we misuse it.

Look at what He tells His people: They aren’t truly changed people and as a result, they reap the consequences:

THE LORD WILL SET US FREE!

He released us from the penalty of every sin in our life. Therefore, we are to forgive others as He has forgiven us. And sometimes we do that…for awhile. But then we remember what he said about us, what she did to us and, like king Zedekiah we change our minds and back into our debt they go.

So how can we have true FREEDOM–the real deal?

“What then [are we to conclude]? Shall we sin because we live not under the Law but under God’s favor and mercy? Certainly not!” (verse 15 – Amplified)

(*See v. 14) – For sin shall not [any longer] exert dominion over you, since now you are not under law [as slaves], but under grace [as subjects of God’s favor and mercy].

To live “under grace” means FREEDOM to do not what we want but what we ought!

It means FREEDOM for obedience, not an excuse for disobedience.

SIN DOES MATTER!

Freedom doesn’t mean the absence of rules.

We live in a free country, but I’m not free to go into your house and take your television. There are laws in a free country. People come to live in America because it offers an opportunity to a better way of life (not lack of laws). The same is true about living for God.

Romans 6:19

“I am using an example from everyday life because of your human limitations” (vs. 19a).

Paul admits that SLAVERY is an imperfect illustration of Christian life (God is not like the slave master’s of Paul’s day), but he uses it because it helps us (who have “weak” minds) understand a basic principle–

God is our Master to whom we owe total commitment.

So here’s the challenge: Let God–NOT SIN–rule your life (vs. 19b).

“Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves slaves to righteousness leading to holiness.”

Christians who live as SLAVES of SIN, must no longer live as SLAVES to SIN!

The Big Idea: Since everyone is a SLAVE–either to SIN or to GOD–it’s best to choose the slavery that gives the best results. It’s an either-or situation. Either you’re a slave to sin or a slave to God. There’s no middle ground.

The question is not if we bow down before a master, but before which master will we bow to? There’s no such thing as an uncommitted Christian!

The Truth About Freedom:

WRONG THINKING#1: Many people think serving ONESELF is freedom.

The TRUTH is that “freedom” from God is SLAVERY

Romans 6:16 (AMP)

[16] Do you not know that if you continually surrender yourselves to anyone to do his will, you are the slaves of him whom you obey, whether that be to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience which leads to righteousness (right doing and right standing with God).

John 8:34 (NIV)

[34] Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.”

WRONG THINKING #2: Many people think serving GOD is a loss of freedoms.

The TRUTH is that “slavery” to God is FREEDOM from the power of sin (vv. 17-18).

The second word of the Book of Romans is “doulos” (Romans 1:1). But Paul was happy to be a slave, a servant, a “doulos” of Jesus Christ.

“Righteousness” the conduct pleasing to God.

“the standard of teaching to which you were committed” – We are committed (handed over) to the teaching of Christ Jesus like a slave is handed over to his master. The teaching doesn’t belong to us, we belong to it.

Believe It Or Not, Our Freedom Comes With Consequences

Slavery to sin leads to SHAME (vv. 20-21a).

[20] When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. [21a] What benefits did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of?

Slavery to sin leads to ETERNAL DEATH (vv. 21b, 23a)

[21b] Those things will result in death!

[23] For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

ETERNAL DEATH – The eternal separation from God in hell begins after death.

Slavery to God leads to HOLINESS (v. 22a).

[22a] But now that you have been set free from sin and become slaves of God…

HOLINESScan mean either the state of holiness or the process of sanctification (living that’s increasingly God-centered and world renouncing.

Slavery to God leads to ETERNAL LIFE (v.v. 22b, 23b).

Eternal Death is a “wage” earned; Eternal life is a “gift” received.

THE SLAVERY OF CHRIST – (Matthew 20:28)

Christ, in a sense, became our slave.

He gave His life as a “ransom” for us so that we could be free. He now asks us to give our lives to Him.

What Jesus has done leads us to what to do: Become SLAVES of Righteousness.

FREEDOM doesn’t mean the absence of rules.

“I am using as example from everyday life because of your human limitations” (v. 19a.).

Paul admits here that slavery is an imperfect illustration of the Christian life, but he uses it because it helps us understand a basic principle:

I have always been musically inclined, from a small boy pretending to direct the New York Philharmonic Orchestra in front of my parent’s radio that rested 4-ft. high on the floor in the 1940’s to singing in choirs in elementary school and then in church choirs as an adult.

So in preparing for this study in Ecclesiastes, a tune began playing on my memory’s turntable of a 1961 classic Marty Robbins song: A Time AndAPlace For Everything [See Footnote [i] ].

There’s a time and a place for everything

So let’s pretend we’re not blue.

There’s a time and a place for everything

Someday our dreams will come true.

A TIME FOR EVERYTHING UNDER THE SUN –

We Christians tend to sing happy songs about God, and His blessings, and His goodness, and our relationship with Him.

I like happy songs; I’m in favor of happy songs. The world’s songs, on the other hand, are often not so happy. Even the ones that sound HAPPY and peppy are often not so happy when you listen carefully to the lyrics.

ECCLESIASTES sounds more like popular music today than the happy Christian songs we tend to sing.

We need to be careful. Sometimes it is really easy for us to enter into a Christian cocoon. Christian music, Christian friends, Christian decorations for our homes, and we even speak “Christianise”, as a pastor once mentioned in a Sunday message.

Now I’m very much in favor of all these things…but there’s a DANGER if we become so isolated that our message, even our lives, become irrelevant to the world around us in which we are to be salt and light. We have to be careful we don’t become so isolated, so deaf to the regular questions of living and struggles of life without God, that we become MUTE to our neighbors and coworkers and families.

IN THESE TIMES…

More and more people are struggling to keep their heads above a rising tide of PESSIMISM about future prospects. Of course, there are exceptions from a handful of optimists, predicting a better and brighter tomorrow. Still, the larger portion of humanity is less convinced.

A hundred years ago [in the “modern era”], FAITH in human reason and progress was probably at an all-time high. TODAY, it [seems] as low as ever with growing doubts whether the world can ever solve its problems on its own.

ECCLESIASTES speaks to this condition.

It expresses the intense disappointment that people feel when they realize, “Life should be better, but it isn’t.”

There is a classic rock tune that was released a year after I was married. The group, The Byrds, in 1965, came out with “Turn, Turn, Turn” – YouTube has the original recording if you want to listen. Apart from the title, all the other words in these lyrics were pulled directly from Ecclesiastes 3. 52 years ago, the Byrds understood that these words in ECCLESIASTES would resonate with the regular people.

[1] There isatime for everything andaseason for every activity under heaven; [2] Atime to be born…andatime to die.

Of these fourteen couplets…the FIRST THREE are along the same lines:

Born – Die

Plant – Uproot

Kill – Heal

We ALL have a time to DIE.

I know this isn’t a popular subject but try as we might to deny it, ignore it, avoid it, put it off…these lives as we know them, in these bodies, will come to an end. We ALL have a time to die, We just don’t know when that is.

Well, actually, we can know if we’d just visit http://www.deathclock.com. Out of curiosity, I visited and answered a few simple questions and found out “Your time has expired.”

The good news in all of this is the actual timing of my life here on earth is known only by God!

ECCLESIASTES 3:1-4 – New English Translation ( NET Bible)

A Time for All Events in Life

3 For everything, there is an appointed time, and an appropriate time for every activity on earth;

A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to uproot what was planted.

A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and time to build up.

A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.

The TEXT says that there IS a time and a season for everything!

EVERYTHING, a full rich life with all kinds of experiences, a robust life, lived fully.

It seems to me the trick is to get the TIMING right. We sometimes seem to get things backward and we’re doing the opposite of what we should be doing.

When you say “time” to a musician, I think in terms of RHYTHM. There is something wonderful about locking into a groove.

LIFE ought to be like that…A RHYTHM to die… But get that RHYTHM OUT OF SYNC, it becomes like clapping on the wrong beat. We get out of sync. When we should be PLANTINGEncouragement and UPROOTINGDiscouragement, we get out of SYNC and do it the other way around.

When we ought to be putting to DEATH our old, rotten, selfish ways and nursing RIGHTEOUSNESS and HEALTH in our lives, we get out of SYNC and do it the other way around, killing righteousness and nursing back to health our rotten sinful ways.

We LAUGH at what’s disgusting and evil when we should WEEP.

So, when should we DANCE?

Here’s an idea: Believe we can get ‘circumstantially’ out of rhythm in life. For an example, this very CIRCUMSTANCE: CHURCH.

When we are together reflecting on and our singing about God’s goodness and greatness, we probably ought to DANCE, but some of us seem habitually out of SYNC and rather MOURN in church instead (at least the look on our faces seem mournful).

FOURTEEN COUPLETS OF POLAR OPPOSITES…and each has a time.

Some Bible commentators say that the numbers here of 14 couplets (7x2x2) is a significant indication of COMPLETENESS. From BIRTH to DEATH and everything in between. ALL of it intentional…ALL of it work!

AND NO, IT’S NOT YET TIME FOR ME TO BE SILENT (v. 7).

Our country is torn today in regard to whether this is a time for PEACE. The TEXT brings back to this rhetorical question seen before in Ecclesiastes. “In the grand scheme of things, what good is all the toil?”

HERE, THERE IS AN ANSWER: “GOD HAS GIVEN US A BURDEN (TASK, CALLING, WORK) AND HE HAS MADE IT BEAUTIFUL (OR GOOD) IN ITS TIME” [VERSE 11].

The verse continues and explains that it’s God who put ETERNITY in our hearts, our soul and spirit, a longing to know something beyond time in this life, in this world, and in these bodies.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 (b): “…yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”

When, all is said, we only have a spark of eternity in our hearts; we cannot fully comprehend ETERNITY.

So, when you get right down to it, IT IS A GIFT OF GOD–

WE HONOR GOD BY ENJOYING THE GIFT HE GIVES US

WE HONOR GOD BY LIVING LIFE TO THE FULLEST AND BEING SATISFIED WITH HIS GIFT!

This becomes a reminder that God’s SOVEREIGNTY is powerful:

Ecclesiastes 3:14 (AMP)

[14] I know that whatever God does, it endures forever; nothing can be added to it nor taken from it, And God does it so that men will [reverently] fear Him [revere and worship Him, knowing that He is].

It reminds us that any part we have in ETERNITY comes from our being in step with God; our soul’s attitude is in alignment towards Him with the help of the Holy Spirit in our life. We are reminded that we are neither puppet nor parasite. We are not merely running in program mode that’s set in place by a grand puppet master.

And…we’re not without resource to add or subtract from our lives and enjoyment.

We are invited to join God in His work, not adding nor taking from His work, but joining Him.

So, what exactly can we take from this PASSAGE of SCRIPTURE?

I know what I came away with, you, maybe something else. It seems clear that the passage, like all of Ecclesiastes, meant to make think to ourselves. It’s meant to call us to a REALITY CHECK.

We are called to wrestle with out humanity, this fallen world around us, and what God has to say about it.

NO ESCAPE!

It’s all about LIFE in a fallen world.ECCLESIASTES says we can deny it, fight it, hide from it, even try to make sense of it. BUT…we can’t escape it! The only response is to LIVE IN IT one day at a time, fearing God and cherishing as best as we can the STUFF of which life is made–food, family, work and not in that order. These are GIFTS of God’s hand.

So we are to ENJOY THE GIFTS God gives us.

We WORSHIP Him by living abundant, robust, even happy lives.

We examine ourselves and the rhythm of our lives.

We should ask ourselves, honestly, are we honoring God by living full lives well? Are we treating this GIFT OF TIME as a PRECIOUS GIFT? Are we living in Relationship with God, or are we working for ourselves…which ends in VANITY, meaninglessness?

More importantly than asking ourselves…let’s ask our Heavenly Father. Let’s be open to God, through His Holy Spirit, to speak to us, revealing where we can LIVE more fully and thus honor God. And let us RELY on Holy Spirit to GUIDE, and STRENGTHEN and give us COURAGE,

Now it’s normal, I believe, when we stop and think along these lines, to have REGRETS…to wish we had done some things differently, to have different priorities over time. BUT the GIFT we have right now, THE GIFT OF TIME, we are enjoying today and will enjoy tomorrow. YESTERDAY is gone!

So where different priorities are often called for, we’ll need to make a FRESH START today! I’m going to, will you?

IN ROMANS 10:1, the apostle Paul says “Brethren, [with all] my heart’s desire and goodwill for [Israel], I long and pray to God that they may be saved” (AMP).

What is your heart’s desire?

I think every person has desires in life, and often, intense desires. I’m not sure its knowledge or wisdom, however, like Solomon asked for in 1 Kings 3:7-14.

My heart’s desire?

There are certain days when I want wisdom and knowledge, especially when reading God’s Word and preparing a bible study lesson. But for the most part, it is probably not my greatest desire. I seem to instead, get in my own way with selfishness.

THE “HEART” ( Hebrew lablab/lab, Greek cardia):

The word “heart” occurs over 1,000 times in the Bible, making it the most common anthropological term in Scripture. It denotes a person’s center–physical and emotional-intellectual-moral activities (See footnote [i] ).

I want to focus here on the HEART as the Center of hidden emotional-intellectual-Moral Activity in this bible study.

In 1 Samuel 16:7, the LORD says to Samuel that the Lord looks at the heart.

The king’s heart is unsearchable (Proverbs 25:3), but the LORD searches all hearts to reward all according to their conduct (Jeremiah 17:10).

In the time of judgment, God will expose the hidden counsels of the heart (1 Corinthians 4:5).

JESUS says that the HEART’s secrets are betrayed by the MOUTH, even as a tree’s fruit reveals its nature (Matthew 12:33-34)–“A wise man’s heart guides his mouth,” says Solomon (Proverbs 16:23).

PAUL’S LETTER TO THE ROMANS –

One deserved criticism tossed at me over the years in my ministering has been not being tactful at times. But I saw how carefully thought out and tactfully worded Paul was in his letter to the church in Rome. I’m still learning the lesson.

He spoke of UNITY in the body of Christ, and how we as members of that body belong to one another as he spoke of living in harmony.

In the land of the Jews, it was the beginning of unrest and ultimately leading to rebellion, the destruction of Jerusalem.

Paul spoke of the different groupings within the Church, as the “weak” and the “strong.” Some Jewish Christians had problems about what they might and might not eat. Some kept particular solemn days in accordance with their Jewish traditions. Paul encouraged the strong to be patient with the weaknesses–the spiritual immaturity of the weak.

Paul made it a point of the IMPARTIALITY of God and His dealings with JEWS and GENTILES. ALL were under SIN, so what right had one group to feel superior to the other?

I found it amazing to see the passion of Paul in his words; the Apostle to the Gentiles, on behalf of his people Israel. There was no doubt in his mind the HISTORY OF THE CHURCH bound up with the HISTORY OF ISRAEL. It was “to theJEW first” that the gospel was preached. As Jesus said, “salvation is of the Jews.”

Paul’s own missionary procedure on arriving in a new city was to go first to the synagogue with the gospel and only after that to the gentiles.

However, the other nations would in time take part in the BLESSINGS of the GOSPEL MESSAGE.

Paul spoke of the UNITY of the Jew and Gentile within the church (Romans 15:8-9).

PROMISES WERE MADE –

The PROMISE to Abraham was…in him, ALL the families of the earth would be BLESSED!

In the meantime, Paul saddened by the fact that many Israelites had refused the GOSPEL. He taught the Gentile Christians in Rome to bear with the infirmities–the shortcomings–of their Jewish brothers and sisters since the CHURCH wouldn’t exist without them. Paul fervently prayed that ISRAEL might be SAVED!

The TRAGEDY of his people?

They were seeking their own RIGHTEOUSNESS by the works of the Law. Yet God’s LAW is impossible to keep; we are ALL sinners and fall short of the glory of God.

We cannot cancel out sin, our rebellion against God by multiplying our good deeds.

The ONLY WAY is….through Christ Jesus, who is “the end of the law” (Romans 10:4).

If we are to be made RIGHTEOUS before God, it’s only through RIGHTEOUSNESS of our LORD JESUS. We RECEIVE righteousness by FAITH in Him alone!

Moses envisioned a place in time, that the children of Israel would have broken the LAW and been driven from their land. Yet God still addresses His ancient people by calling them back to Himself, not through WORKS but in the spirit and in FAITH.

According to Paul, the OBJECT of the FAITH can only be the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 10:9-10):

No longer able to fulfill the LAW by works of righteousness, we are called to A HEART RELIGION.

WHOEVER BELIEVES in Christ JESUS will not be ashamed.

WHOEVER CALLS upon His name will be SAVED!

I’ve never understood why, when pastors ask at the end of a church service for hands raised in accepting Christ, then asks that every head should bow (‘no peeking, please!’). The bible says, “If you CONFESS with your mouth”…THAT’S WORDS spoken with lips.

Perhaps they don’t want the person to be embarrassed. But if that is truly the explanation–the reasoning–then Romans 10:11 makes no sense: “No man who believes in Him will ever be put to shame…”

HEART BELIEF –

Heart Belief is a sincere and personal acceptance of the TRUTH which God has revealed.

The WORD OF GOD near to us is in our mouth and in our heart; testifies to our inability to keep the LAW OF GOD; testifies our sinfulness; it testifies that the wages of sin IS DEATH–which is eternal separation from God.

It TESTIFIES of our NEED for a savior…

It TESTIFIES that Jesus Christ is the ONLY SAVIOR of sinners! He laid down HIS LIFE for our SINS and God raised Him from the dead so that we might live in Him.

Thus FAITH is not merely an arrangement of facts of the Gospel. Even the demons believe in the TRUTH of the Gospel–and tremble!

SINCERE FAITH leads to public confession of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

It is not an easy CONFESSION to make, as the community in Rome during Paul’s stay can attest to.

On one hand, an opposition of those within the synagogue; on the other, the civil authorities and state religions feeling threatened by claims of Jesus’ Lordship.

CONFESSION OF FAITH strengthens the new believer.

It brings with it the ASSURANCE, the confidence that we are on the side of the Victor. It’s a clear announcement of intent within the spiritual warfare and it is a challenge to those who hear!

BAPTISM–One way in which we CONFESS our FAITH.

With the waters of BAPTISM, we PUBLICALLY & OPENLY say farewell to our old way of life and initiated into the community of believers.

To be BAPTIZED into Christ Jesus is to DIE TO SIN, TO BE BURIED in His death, and to RISE again in the newness of life (Romans 6:3-5).

“Behold, the fresh and new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Paul was concerned that the GOSPEL–THE GOOD NEWS was heard by both Jew & Gentile.

FAITH comes by hearing, and hearing by the WORD of God, so it is necessary to proclaim the name of the LORD to the world. His name is JESUS. (10:17)

QUESTION: How can one hear unless someone speaks or preaches?

That question certainly puts a lot of responsibility on us as believers–to make sure what we say in person or what we say on Social Media…is what JESUS would say!

The word translated “PREACH”, evangelizo, is a word with rich meaning. The word can be translated, HERALD.

A HERALD acted as a public announcer, delivering a message from a King. The MESSAGE was given to the HERALD from the King and the Herald took the message to the community–The HERALD spoke for the King! When the HERALD was speaking, it was as though the KING himself was speaking.

But there’s a CATCH!

The Herald was simply to proclaim the MESSAGE he was given by the King. The HERALD couldn’t ADD, SUBTRACT, ALTER OR CHANGE the Message in ANYWAY!

So when we PREACH to others, we are speaking for JESUS, but ONLY when we speak HIS Message.

So are we willing, is it our HEART’S DESIRE to be seen as some’s BEAUTIFUL FEET?

If no one goes, then there is no MESSAGE delivered.

We are living in a dying world that is depending on YOU to let them HEAR Jesus through YOU! And that should be our HEART’S DESIRE…OUR PASSION!!!

FOOTNOTES & CREDITS:

Footnote [i]: bible study tools.Dictionary

Photos: Google Image Search.

Bible Translations: New International Version (NIV); Amplified Bible (AMP).

Bible Dictionary: VINE’S Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words.

Well, it’s finally the end of football season except for the playoff games and of course…The Super Bowl. We all have our favorite teams, and I’m no exception. My Seattle Seahawks, again are in the playoffs, and the 12’s, the Seahawk Fans, are ‘Ready for some football’!

The old Monday Night Football song featured Hank Williams Jr. singing, “Are youready for some football?”, was something I looked forward to every week. And for the most part, the games were absolutely worth waiting for. They were PREMIER MATCHUPS of equally matched teams, bound to have some wonderful surprises with some extraordinary highlights.

In THE BOOK OF AMOS in the Old Testament, we can also see a premier matchup of teams NOT equally matched at all.

BUT…there are still bound to be some probably NOT so wonderful surprises but some extraordinary highlights!

TEXT: AMOS 5:18-24 (NIV)

The Day of the Lord

[18] Woe to you who long for the day of the Lord! Why do you long for the day of the Lord? That day will be darkness, not light.

[19] It will be as though a man fled from a lion only to meet a bear, as though he entered his house and rested his hand on the wall only to have a snake bite him.

[20] Will not the day of the Lord be darkness, not light–pitch-dark, without a ray of brightness?

[22] Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them.

[23] Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps.

[24] But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!”

First, let’s look at the prophet Amos:

Contrary to what you might think, AMOS was neither a prophet nor the son of a prophet to begin with(7:14). He was a herdsman and a dresser of sycamore trees…actually, a wild fig or mulberry fig tree.

A DRESSER is better translated as a bruiser. Sycamore trees had a fig-like fruit. In order to make the fruit ripen and sugar content, he would take a long stick and tap them and bruise them. AMOS picked these for a living and since the FRUIT wasn’t particularly good tasting, only the poor people ate it. [See footnote [i] ]

So while AMOS was tending sheep and dressing trees…he became aware of the conditions of his day.

Today’s awareness of surrounding world conditions, might be around the water cooler.

Amos’ day conditions were discussed around a sycamore tree or while he was herding the sheep as caravans passed along a well-traveled highway.

WHAT WERE THE CONDITIONS?

Wealth abounded…actually, it was an either or situation. On one hand there was luxury and self-indulgence, and on the other…there was absolutely miserable poverty. I’m sure you have seen videos of the homeless camps fixed under overpasses in our cities today.

The GOVERNMENT was corrupt…there was evidence of extortion…there was riots and violence in the streets and CLASS was hated.

Dishonesty was the rule rather than the exception and there was also a gross indifference to the suffering.

The RELIGIOUS conditions followed the same pattern

Outwardly, it seemed that RELIGION was thriving in and around the center of population…attendance soared while the treasuries bulged…BUT…inside there was sickness.

The priests were professional leeches. They would preach exactly what would tickle the ears of the people.

IMMORALITY was practiced in the name of Jehovah God…

There was so much hypocrisy and insincerity in the assemblies while real RIGHTEOUSNESS was hated and oppressed, sometimes violently.

In my study this past week, all this became painful for me to read and understand. This period of PEACE and God’s GRACE…instead of being grateful to God for their peace and prosperity He had given…they used this time to plunge into the pool of sin.

Much like America is today…outwardly it seems like things are going pretty well…BUT on the inside, decay and rottenness.

AMOS saw the JUDGMENT of God coming upon the nation but the greatest threat, then and now, lies in the religious community!!!

In Chapters 1 & 2…AMOS speaks of JUDGMENT on the surrounding nations. The people really like that part. Notice that Amos repeats the phrase, “For three sins…even four” (vs. 4, 6).

He uses this formula to focus attention on the FINAL ITEM–GOD’S ‘FINAL STRAW’!

AMOS doesn’t list the first three sins, but moves directly to the fourth, bringing the JUDGMENT of God down to the actual audience to whom the message is directed–ISRAEL.

That brings me to the ‘Final Straw’ portion of this blog-study:

THE DAY OF THE LORD (Chapter 5):

Israelites of Old Testament times looked for the day when God would intervene in the affairs of the world, righting the wrongs and establishing His rule on the earth.

For the first time in Scripture, the concept of the DAY OF THE LORD is introduced. The term appears only in the prophetic.

What do we think when we hear the term? Do we think of the time when JESUS will come back for His bride, the church? Or, that glorious time when we’ll leave this old world and go to heaven? “Oh, what a glorious day that will be!”

AMOS gives us a clear picture of what the Day of the LORD would be like for the people. 1st it would be a time of DARKNESS–not light.

People thought it would be a bright, happy time of celebration…tickertape parades…dancing in the streets, etc.. Instead, it would be a time of unparalleled hopelessness…There would be no place for them to escape the JUDGMENT OF GOD!

He says it would be like a man who would run from a lion only to meet a bear; from something ferocious to something even worse!

In desperation this man manages to reach his house–a place of safety and shelter. He arrives breathless, leans his hand against the wall to catch his breath…and as he does, hidden in some crevice, a snake bites him. The DEATH he thought he would escape awaited him at his own house. NO SAFETY…NO ESCAPE anywhere!

Verse 20: Not only DARKNESS…

[20] Don’t you realize the LORD’S day of judgment will bring darkness, not light–gloomy blackness, not bright light? (NET Bible)

This is a far cry from the joyful expectations the people of Israel had.

In VERSES 21-24, AMOS gives details of some of the things that helped bring on this JUDGMENT…THE FINAL STRAW:

Each of the ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS of their worship was examined and in each case…they were totally rejected by God.

What God required was not the RITUAL or the OFFERING, but rather RIGHTEOUSNESS in the courts, in the marketplace, in every aspect of their conduct, because this is what it takes to WORSHIP GOD…not the outward show.

But these “saints” all still performed their duty on occasion…and think it will be enough to cause God to overlook the SIN in their everyday life.

But their COMMITMENT to God is revealed in their lifestyles.

They pretended to REJOICE, to Praise the LORD…they had their solemn assembly for their worship. ALL the right moves…ALL the right notions…

BUT God HATED and DESPISED it. He said take it away…Get it out! (verse 22).

How About the WORSHIP MUSIC in the Congregation?

Vs. 23 – Away with the noise of your songs…

MUSIC was an important part of their worship, as it is today in our church services. —HOW COULD THEY MESS THAT UP?

It had all the right words…the music was sweet to the ears, but it wasn’t offered to God…it was just the next step in the process.

–HOW ABOUT US?

When we sing, do we mean what we say?

Now, this has not been all too pleasant reading so far…it’s been pretty negative. But when God deals harshly with His people, it’s always REDEMPTIVE in nature.

It’s never meant to beat you down…rather, it’s to help us get our focus back on Him.

That brings us to VERSE 24 – BUT…LET JUSTICE ROLL!

What is AMOS referring to here?

He wants us to do a turn-around! Act justly. Be honest! That means in our everyday life, in our dealings with others…whether business or social relationships. Don’t take unfair advantage and treat everyone as God Himself would treat them.

It also means being HONEST before God…recognizing our true nature–who we are in Christ Jesus.

RIGHTEOUSNESS like a never-ending stream.

JESUS said, “He that drinks of the water that I give…out of his belly shall flow rivers of living waters” (John 7:38 – KJV).

That’s what is available for you and I today. We need to examine ourselves where we are in life…examine our motives–honestly, and make whatever adjustments the Holy Spirit tells us to do. And then, and only then, can we truly long for THE DAY OF THE LORD.

CREDITS –

Photos: Google Image Search.

Bible Translations: New International Version (NIV), except where noted.

I remember in my teen years, my folks planting a lemon tree at the back of their property, next to a fence bordering an alley. This wasn’t an ordinary lemon tree, this was a MEYER LEMON tree. A cross between a regular lemon and a mandarin orange. In my opinion, the tastiest lemon ever!

Now this tree was a special tree to our family, for it bore fruit almost year round. It wasn’t suppose to, but it did! It always seemed filled with bright, round yellow lemons. So much so that it seemed many of the tree’s branches were on the verge of snapping under the weight of the fruit.

Philippians 1:9-11 (NIV):

[9] And this is my prayer; that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, [10] so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, [11] filled with the FRUIT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS that comes through Jesus Christ–to the glory and praise of God. [ I capitalized “fruit of righteousness,” only for illustration]

This letter of the apostle Paul to the church at Philippi, a church that he established, is a letter of thanks for their GIFT. Also, it is a letter of encouragement, to stand firm in the faith, to exhort them in humility and unity.

This particular church was a special delight to Paul. He had developed a bond of love and mutual confidence with this church unequaled elsewhere. Consequently this is the most personal of Paul’s letters not written to individuals.

“And this I pray” (vs. 9), his prayer for this church comes to a crescendo in verse 11:

May you be “filled with the fruit of righteousness…”

The word “FILLED”(pleroo – Grk.) means “filled to all fullness.” Sort of like the Thompson family Meyer Lemon tree.

Paul is seeking spiritual fruit for the true believers at this church; he earnestly PRAYS for them to be “filled to all fullness”, and the “fullness of fruit” only comes “through Jesus Christ”.

John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible, he says “none but a good tree can bring forth good fruit, so none but a tree of righteousness can bear fruits of righteousness.”

It is only as Christians abide in Jesus, allowing Christ (John 15:4-5) to live His resurrected life through us (Galatians 2:20) can we be fruitful and glorify God.

So how do we, the CHURCH bring forth SPIRITUAL FRUIT?

Well, returning to my ‘love of gardening’ roots…before FRUIT can appear on a tree, it must BLOSSOM FIRST. Following the natural progression of a fruit bearing tree, not only does the tree blossom first–then leafs out in the Spring–then the FRUIT follows.

In my study this past week, I discovered that believers in Christ are called “oaks [trees] of righteousness [lofty, strong, and magnificent, distinguished for uprightness, justice, and right standing with God], the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.” (Isaiah 61:3, AMP)

By nature, we are barren; not one good blossom growing on us; but when by FAITH, grafted into Christ Jesus (like the lemon tree ingrafted to the mandarin orange tree), then we are able grow and bear fruit.

Here’s a good word to add to your vocabulary:Plagiarism; meaning the belief that original sin do not taint human nature and that mortal will is still capable of choosing good and evil without special divine will” [See footnote [i] ].

In other words, we have sufficiency of ourselves that brings forth good fruit; but what’s wrong with this claim? Doesn’t the ROOT contribute to the branches? Is not Christ’s precise FULLNESS what we receive?

“For out of His FULLNESS (abundance) we have all received [all had a share and we were all supplied with] one grace after another and spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing and even favor upon favor and gift [heaped] upon gift” (John 1:16 AMP).

JESUS then is that ROOT which shoots up that sap of grace, His branches. THAT’S US CHURCH!

The FRUIT listed is sweet and mellow, growing under the Son of righteousness.

Outward FRUIT – Proverbs 15:4:

“A gentle tongue is a tree of life…”

A Christian who is full to the brim with righteousness brings to the table the FRUIT of good speech.

He also brings forth the FRUIT of Good Works (Colossians 1:10):

“…bearing fruit in every good work and steadily growing and increasing in and by the knowledge of God…”

God will say on the Last Day, “…you show me your [alleged] faith apart from any [good] works [if you can] and I by [good] works [of obedience] will show you my faith” (James 2:18).

Kindly FRUIT – Psalm 1:3:

“…ready to bring forth its fruit in its season”

That is, one brings forth that FRUIT which is proper for one to bear.

PROPER FRUIT means when we, as Christians, are living holy in our callings and relationships. As an example, in a JUDGE, Justice is the kindly fruit: Deuteronomy 16:19 says,

“You shall not misinterpret or misapply judgment; you shall not be partial, or take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and perverts the words of the righteous.”

PROPER FRUIT ON THE TABLE:

…in a pastor, ZEAL (Acts 17:16).

…in a parent, INSTRUCTION (Deut. 4:10).

…in a child, OBEDIENCE (Ephesians 6:1).

…in a husband, LOVE (Ephesians 5:25).

…in the wife, SUBMISSION (Ephesians 5:22).

Lastly, SINCERITY brings Seasonable FRUIT –

Psalm 1:3 says, “bring forth its fruit in its season”;

Ecclesiastes 3:11says that “everything is beautiful in His time”.

There is a great amount of discernment that comes in to play in the right timing of a thing. Consider that the seasonableness of a thing, puts a value on it.

For an example, our COMFORTING others must be seasonable.

Proverbs 15:13 says, “A glad heart makes a cheerful countenance, but by sorrow of heart the spirit is broken.

When the spirit is broken, a word of comfort spoken in season is putting it in joint again.

The words that we can say in season in comfort. or sometimes, just being there with someone in time of brokenness to comfort them with a hug, without speaking any words, can be of great value.

Job’s friends pretended to comfort him–but instead of pouring oil into the wound, they poured vinegar.

“Pleasant words are as a honeycomb, sweet to the soul.”

Let all the trees of righteousness bring forth seasonable fruit.

In prosperity, be thankful.

In adversity, be patient. “To everything there is a season.”

Consider that the seasonableness of a thing, puts a value and preciousness on it.

In summary, RIGHTEOUSNESS doesn’t come from our good works, but is credited to us according to our FAITH.

The same is true for theFruits of Righteousness.

By FAITH we must earnestly seek to complete the GOOD WORK God has already prepared for us; but the FRUIT of our labor comes through Jesus–only by His strength do we have strength.

Only through Jesus will we have the power to run the race set before us with endurance; and only Jesus can produce fruit in our lives. Only Jesus can bring forth increase. By our own power we can do nothing.

Jesus said, “If you live in Me and My words remain in you and continue to live in your hearts, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you. When you bear much fruit, My Father is honored and glorified, and you show and prove yourselves to be true followers of Mine” (John 15:7-8).

Living a consistent lifestyle in Christ and His words abiding in us, in order to produce perfect knowledge and discernment, gives us the foundation to build upon.

So our purpose is to be a man or woman who God can use to bear FRUIT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS that God can be glorified.

“RIGHTEOUSNESS is the action and positive result from a sound relationship between God and men” (Quote by John Harvey, pastor of Life Quest Church).

We have God’s Promise–if we love God’s Word and do these things. we will succeed and will bear fruit.

Credits & Footnotes:

Footnote [i] : Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Photo Credits: Google Image Search and Photo Pin.

Bible Translations: Amplified Bible, except where noted.

Commentaries used for in this study: Howdy Partner! (Philippians 1:1-11) by Keith Krell @ Bible.org; John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible – Philippians 1:11 @ BibleStudyTools.com

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I am a strong believer in God's Word. John 18:37 JESUS "came into the world to bear witness to the TRUTH". Then He goes on to say that "Everyone who is of the TRUTH [the WORD] hears and listens to My voice." Since I am a friend of the TRUTH and belong to the TRUTH, I hear His voice through the Spirit of Truth; the Holy Spirit. That is the reason I became the WORD detective. To share the TRUTH I find in the Word. Through my experiences as a believer and to find results in our everyday circumstances. I am a TRUTH-SEEKER!